04.28.08

The employment authorization application (EAD form) or the I-765 as it is popularly known is revised, as announced by the USCIS, on April 24, 2008.

The form I-765 is used by the foreign nationals to request U.S. Government’s approval that the foreign national is eligible to be lawfully employed in U.S. Majority of immigration enforcement involves removal of foreign nationals engaged in unauthorized employment. Therefore, any modification in the process relating to employment authorization becomes very important and proper compliance is expected to maintaining valid immigration status.

The interim regulation, published in the Ferederal Register on April 8, 2008, extended the Optional Practical Training period for certain categories of courses in science, technology, engineering and math (known as STEM) to 29 months and allows the qualified non immigrant students on F1 visa, to extend their OPT work by another year.

The new I-765 form would include the course codes for the designated STEM courses. The previous form may be used until July 8, after this date it would no loger be valid and only the new form, dated, April 8 2008, would be accepted.